m
were prinlctl in th e supplementary volumes o f Buffon’s Na tu ral H isto ry , an d form the most complete and b est account
we have y et h ad o f the history o f these species.
P ero n an d Lcsueur, in th e ir record o f B audin’s voyage, indicated some Seals found in the South Sea, and give
fuller deta ils o f th e Sea-Elepliant, they having b e e n so fortunate as to fall in with some males o f th a t species, b u t th e
N a tu ra l Histo ry of the voyage was neve r published, so th a t ive a te indebted to Cuvier (Oss. Foss.) for the description
of th e only Seal tliey brought home, which appears to have been th e F u r Seal o f commerce.
I n th e Zoology o f Captam Dnpen-ey’s ‘ Voyage o f the Coqnille,’ a Seal is figured, u nder the name o f Plw ca Mo-
lossma, b u t th e skull and skin, now in the Paris Museum, as Nilsson has correctly observed, is only the young Sea-
Lion’s. In the ‘Voyage o f the Astrolabe’ two other southern Seals are figured, one called Otaria c im re a , Peron, which
appears to be the F u r Seal o f commerce, and th e Otaria a iistra lii, which is very like my Arctoeephalm lo la tm ,
described from a skull in Mr. Brookes’ collection many years previously. I t is to be regretted th a t the figures here
referred to, especially o f th e skull, are so b ad as to be u tterly useless for th e determination o f th e species without com-
parison o f th e original specimens.
In the F rench ‘ Voyage to th e South Pole,’ now publishing, figures are given of the Sea-Leopard and the common
White Antarctic Seal, which they name Phoca carcinophaga, the two most common species found everywhere in these
regions on th e packed ice.
Lastly, Mr. W. Hamilton h a s given an account o f the Seals and other marine Mammalia, in Sir W. Javdine’s
‘Na turalists’ L ih ra iy ; which contains a carefully compiled account of these animals, and some original figures from the
specimens in th e Ed in h iirg h an d Liverpool Museums ; b u t unfortunately, Mr. Stewart, the draughtsman, has been more
in te n t on giving them an artistic effect th an on attending to their zoological characters. tTh' -u-s , s--o--m--e-- -w---h-i--c-h-- -s--h-o--u--l-d’
have no claws on th e ir h in d feet, have large ones, and sometimes one too many for any b e a s t; an d the toe-membranes
of all the E a red Seals or Otaries are represented as hairy in ste ad o f bald.
T h e same author has given an account o f the F u r Seal in the ‘ Annals o f Natural History,’ which he considers as
different from tlie Sea Bear o f Forster and other South-Sea navigators : according to Dr. Hooker, th e F u r Seals rarely
exceed S^- or 4 feet in length.
As It was necessary to study the species o f the whole family th e be tte r to understand those o f the southern hemisphere,
I shall proceed, before I enter into a more detailed description o f the southern species brought home by this
expedition, to give the condensed results o f my labour, in th e form o f a Synopsis o f the Genera and Species of Seals,
which will a t the same time b e useful in showing the systematic distribution o f th e southern species.
I. — S y n o p s is o f t h e S p e c i e s o f S e a l s .
Sect. I.— Grinders two-rooted ; ears none : toes simple, o f
the fo re -fe e t short, o f th e hind-fee t unequal, the outer
on each side longest, the middle shortest, the p a lm s
a n d soles hairg.
^ n i e 1st f r o n t g r in d e r in each ja w single-rooted, the
rest ^-rooted.
Sub-family 1. Stenorhynchina. — teeth h Í7idf
e e t nearly clawless; muffle h a ir y to the edge a n d between
the n o s tr ils ; fo re -fe e t tr ia n g u la r : wrist very
short.
T h e \ s t, 2 n d a n d ^7'd fr o n t upper, a n d the 1st f r o n t
lower grin d er sijigle-rooted, the rest 2-rooted.
I . L o b o d o n .
Skull elongate ; muzz le elongate ; grinders ra the r compressed,
with a large lobe in front, and three lobes behind
the large r central one.
1. Lobodon cavcinophaga.
P h o ca carcinophaga, H . J . Voy. Pol. Sud. t. Ste-
novhynchus serridens, Otven.
Inhab. Southeni Ocean.
2 . S t e n o r h y n c h u s , F. Cuv.
Skull elongate ; muzzle elongate ; grinders compressed,
with three cylindrical elongate lobes, th e centre one longest
and largest.
1. Stenorhynchus leptonyXjF. Cuv. M etn. M us. xi. 191,
t. 13, f . 1. P hoca leptonyx, Bl. Cuv. Ham. N . L . t. 11.
P. Horaeii, Lesso)i. P . Weddcllii, Lesson. P. Leopavdina,
Jameson. Sea Leopard, Hamilto n , t. \2 .
In h ab . South Sea.
3. L e p t o n y x , Gray, n o t Swai7is.
Skull broad, depressed b e h in d ; muzzle short, broad ;
grinders subcompressed, with a small, subcentral, conical
tubercle, and a very small posterior one ; the lower jaw
narrow behind, without any h inder an g le ; fore-feet clawed.
1. Leptonyx Weddellii, Gray, Mag. N a t. Hist, (not the
synon.)
Inhab. Southern Ocean.
4. P e l a g i o s , F. C u v . Pelagius, Fischer. Monachus,
Nilsso7i.
Skull broad, depressed b e h in d ; muzzle short, broad,
orbits large ; grinders small, conical, “ thick, with a small
anterior and posterior lobe lower jaw broad, with a distinct
posterior an g le ; “ upper cutting teeth transversely
notched.”
1. Pelagios monachus, F. Cuv. Cuv. Oss. Foss. v. t. 17,
f . 1—8. BlaÌ7iv. Osteog. t. 5, 7, 8, 9. P. à ventre blanc,
B u ffo n , S u p p . vi. t. 44. P h o c a monachus, Herm. Beri.
Ahh. iv. t. 12, 13. P . Hermanni, Lesson. Monachus Me-
diten-aneus, Nilsson, Vet. Acad. H a n d . 1837, 235.
Inhab. Mediterranean. Mus. Paris, bad state. Skeletons
and skulls.
5 . O m m a t o p h o c a .
Skull broad, depressed behind ; muzzle very short,
broad, orbits very la rg e ; grinders small, compressed, with
a central incurved lobe, and a small lobe on each side of
i t ; fore-feet very slightly clawed.
1. Ommatophoca Rossii.
Inhab. Southern Ocean.
Sub-family 2. Phocina. — Cuiti7ig teeth | ; the 1.9i fro7it
grinder in each ja w single-7-ooled, rest 2-7-ooted; m u ff
l e hald a n d callous between a7id above th e nostrils,
a n d divided hy a central gi'oove ; w r is t rather exserl-
e d ; Ji7igers su bequal; claws 5-5, large.
6 . C a l l o c e p h a l o s , F. C u v .
Muzzle ra th e r narrow ; whiskers waved; toes gradually
shorter.
^ Palate a77gula7-ly 7iotched belu7id; h a ir subcyli7idrical,
U7ider f u r t h i i i ; web between the h i/id toes hairy.
1. Callocephalus vituliiius.
P h o ca vituliua, im « . ? Nilsson. Blainv. Osteog. Phoca,
t. 2, t. 5, U7id t. 9. JBuJfoii, H . N. xiii.^i. 43. Supp. vi.
t. 46. P . littorea, T h io iem. t. 6, 7. P. canina, Pallas,
Z . R. A. 114. P . communis, Linn.
Inhab. Eu ro p e and North America.
2. Callocephalus annellatus.
Phoca annelata, N ils. Sca/id. F. i. 362. t. 38. Thienet7i.
t. 9, 10, 11. P honue commun, F. Ctiv. M. Uthoq. t. Ha-
7nilton, f-. 4- . CCaallll,. d’i• sco'l or, F. Cuv. Metn. Mus. xi• . -1-8-6.
P. Frederici, Lesson. P. fcetida, Muller, Z . Dan. P . eques-
tris, Pallas, Z . R . A. iii. 40. P . Schreberi, Lesson ?
Inhab. Europe.
3. Callocephalus Caspicus.
Phoca Cuspica, Nilsson. P. canina, var. Caspica, P a llas,
Z . R. A.
Inhab. Caspian seas.
** Palate tru n ca ted b eh in d ; iiinzzle rather produced;
h a ir d7-y, J ia t, close-pressed, w ithout a n y un d er f u r ;
xceb between the hi)id toes haldish. Pagophilus.
4. Callocephalus Grcenlandiciis.
Phoca grccnlandica, Z . /). Thienem. t. 15— 19.
P. oce&mc.o., Lepech, Act. Petrop. 177. Ha77iilton, t. 7. P.
semilunaris, Bodd. P. dorsata, Pallas. P. MuIIcri, Les-
.so/7. Ha rp Seal, Penn. Quad. Bell. B r it. Quad. Ham.
t. 7. P hoca lagnros, Ciiv. 0 ,95. jFoss. v. 206. B la in v . Osteog.
Phoca, i. 91 Home, P h il. Tra/is.\%22, t. 2B. P. albicaiula,
Desm. P. Dcsmareslii, Lesson. P . P ilayi, Lesson.
Inhab. Northern Ocean.
T h e tee th figured as Phoca L agurus o f De Blainville’s
‘ Osteog. P hoca,’ I. 9, ap p e a r to be some other, perhaps a
new species.
7 . P h o c a .
Muzz le broad, short; forehead convex; whiskers smooth,
s im p le ; car-hole large : fingers unequal, the 3 rd longest,
2nd and 4lh long, the 1st and 5th shorter, n ea rly e q u a l;
palate ra the r angularly notched b ehind.
1. P h o ca barbata. Fab. F. Green. 15. Thie7ie77i. I. 1—4.
F. Cuv. Mem. Mus. xi. 184, t. 12. BkVmv. Osteog. Phoca,
t. 9. P. leporina, Lepech. Act. Pet7-op. i. 264, t. 8, 9. Ham.
i. 9. P . nautica , Pallas, Z . R . A. 108. P. albigena, P a llas,
Z . R . A. 109. Great Seal, Pen n . Ha/n. N . L . t. 5.
Inhab. Europe.
Sect. II. — Grinde7-s w ith si/igle root (e x c e p t th e two
hiiider g7-i/iders o f Halichc erus).
A. E a r s , conch 7i07ie. Toes si/7iple, o f fo r e f e e t exserted,
o f h in d fe e t luj'ge; the in n er and outer o)ies large, long,
the three mid d le ones sin a lle r: palm a n d soles hairg
(soi7ieti7/ies ch a ffy a n d callous w ith w e a r ). Muffle
hai7'7j to the edge a n d between the iioslrils.
Sub-family3. Trichechina. M u z z le large, truncated, si/n-
p le ; canines large; g7-i7ide7-s lobed or tru/icated when
old.
8 . H a l ic h c e r u s , Nilsson.
Muzzle broad, ro u n d e d ; cutting tee th grinders 44»
conical, the hinder two u pper and one lower double-rooted,
rest simple, canines moderate ; whiskers crcnulatcd ; muffle
------- ? palm and soles h a iry ; claws 5-5, elongate.
1. Halichcerus grypus, Nilsson. P hoca grypus, Fab. N a t.
Selsk. S k ri. i. 167, t. 13, f. 4. P. gryphus, L ic h l. Berl.
Acad. 1821, I. \ , f 1, 2. 'B lainv. Osteog. Phoca, t. 9. P.
hispida, Scli7'eb. S. 312, t. 86. Hamilto n , t. 8. P. H a lichcerus,
Thieiiem. P . ochotensis, Pallas. H a l. griscus,
Hor/is. Isis, 1824, 810. Nilsson, Sca/id. F. 377, t. 3 4 , / 1,2.
Hainilton, t. 10. Grey Seal, BeU, B r il. Quad. 2 8 J , /
■ Long-bodied S'leeaall,. PPaarrsseo7isf Donovan. Home, P h il. Tr.
1822, t. 27.
In hab. North coast of E urope , (Ireland and Scotland).
9. T r ic h e c h u s , L in n .
Muzzle very broad, truncate, swollen an d convex above ;
muffle, palm and soles chaffy, callous, with the hair more
or less worn off' in the adult (hairy when young ?): cutting
tee th 4 in young, 4 in a d u lt; grinders | 4 , trunca ted, all
single-rooted ; canines, upper very large, exserted.
1. Trichechus Rosmarus, L in n . S. N . Blai/iv. Osteog.
Phoca, l . l h l . 4. Rosmarus arclicns, Pallas, Z . R. A. i. 269.
T. obesus and T. divergcns, Illiger. P ale brown, when
young black, when old white.
In h ab . North Sea. Mus. Brit, adult.
Sub-family 4. Cystophorina. M u z z le o f th e males w ith
a n i/ijlatile appendage: cu ttin g tee th 4 ; grinders
w ith a large swollen root, a n d a small, co7/ipressed,
sii/tple, p la ite d crown : muffle hairy.